Too bad that it is an advertisment. Still, good idea. One should really try this on a bigger scale, a real scientific experiment (and it must run longer than, say, a week – it is important to see if it begins to bore people….)

Just got back from Boston where the museum of science has a similar set up. My brief observation seemed to indicate that children were more likely to take turns than work together. It is amusing to watch though.

it must run longer than, say, a week – it is important to see if it begins to bore people

Yes, what was tested was more like a novelty.theory than a fun.theory@stairs. Even so, one can imagine changing stair novelty every now and then. Interactive stairs would be a hoot.

(For example, hip hop contests against a video screen would really be an opportunity to “break a leg”.)

[Btw, the rational way to get people walking in stairs is to shut down the escalators. Considering the sponsors/advertisers was a car company, one wonder why they didn’t try to spice up traveling by horse carts?]

I’ve been loving the musical stairs at the Boston Museum of Science for at least 15 years, so this is not new to me. The musical stairs are at the exit to the IMAX theater, so you get lots of people exiting at once. If enough notes are played at once, you get interesting things like owl hoots, and duck quacks. Fun stuff!

Oh, and this NEVER gets old. Every time I go to the BMoS, I play on the stairs.

I seem to remember that on the old Dean Martin Show, Dino’s set had a high platform above the normal stage level, accessed by a set of stairs painted as piano keys. The main differences were each step was painted as a complete keyboard, and they did not produce any sound. I don’t think the technology existed back then.

I normally take the stairs, but I suspect that that noise would make me selfconscious and push me towards the escalator to avoid causing a fuss. Interesting to see that Swedes in general are apparently less shy.

Dang. The staircase at the Capitol South Metro station in Washington DC is only 80 steps (4 sets of 20 steps). Not quite enough for the 88 steps needed for a full keyboard. I count them every time I take the stairs, but it only takes 40 steps if I’m walking up the moving escalator.

The Minnesota Science Museum in St. Paul also has a musical staircase. Alas it is not painted like piano keys. It was fun though. My wife and I had the grandest time playing on those stairs, and we didn’t even have any kids with us!

I’m holding out for a violin in which each string is attached to dogs leash and can pinpoint a dog’s precise location by the note they sound. Eventually,teaching the dogs to run and play in a precise way to produce actual music, although hard rock would be my choice if this fantasy ever comes true.